Heather Latter
Having been given a message from God to write a book, that’s just what Melissa Friesen did.
The 21-year-old local resident recently self-published a personal coming of age account of a year in her life and how glorifying God became her ultimate purpose.
“It’s a calendar year of my life, January to December, 2010,” Friesen explained about the book, which she titled “Write This Book.”
“It takes place in Spain, where I went to Bible School, then to Israel, where I was on a tour, and then out to B.C. for the fall semester and just how I feel God transformed my life, a complete 360 in my way of thinking, and what that means for other girls my age,” she remarked.
Friesen feels the book addresses her own insecurities other girls also may struggle with.
“Just being unsure what I wanted to do with my life, not sure what I wanted to do,” she said.
“Not sure what my purpose was and then finally feeling like it clicked, and that my purpose was to serve God.”
After having conversations with other girls at university, Friesen felt everyone was searching for validation in some way.
“And they would still be so unsatisfied,” she recalled, saying she hopes her book can help girls who feel this way.
Friesen also hopes the book challenges others to look at their own lives and question whether they are living it to its fullest potential.
“I hope they find it inspiring,” she noted. “And entertaining. I tried to make it funny.”
She said the book also has a very conversational tone and a very readable style.
Still, she admitted it was very difficult writing the story.
“It was so hard because it’s so honest,” Friesen stressed. “I just felt right from the beginning that I had to be honest.
“It was a struggle for me to put into words the experiences that were so personal to me knowing that someone else could read them and misinterpret it.”
Friesen spent the month of January writing the book, then she put it away for a while before going through the editing process.
She then used the website www.blurb.com to create the book, inputting the text and adding a photo of a tree she took in her yard for the cover.
The book was released just last month.
“It’s about purpose, passion, insecurity, and the changing of the seasons,” she explained, adding she feels it is a very relatable tale with universal themes.
Friesen is planning to continue her ministry, called “A Life Full,” by speaking to girls at churches and schools.
The soft-covered book is available for $17.95 (plus shipping) at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2281346
Friesen also has some copies on hand, and can be contacted via e-mail at alifefull@gmail.com
